Oklahoma officials to revamp stimulus site next month

Oklahoma’s Web site to track stimulus funds has again received low marks from a national watchdog group, but state officials say the site will be relaunched next month with new features.

Oklahoma's current stimulus Web site.

The state tied for 42nd in the rankings released Tuesday by Good Jobs First, a Washington-based group that works to promote corporate and governmental accountability. Oklahoma scored 18 out of 100, tying with Texas and Idaho.

"Oklahoma’s Recovery Act Web site is very sparse,” the report states. "The state hasn’t posted a list of its spending for specific (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) program areas and completely lacks information about individual projects. Many of the program information links contain outdated information or are dead.”

Ron Jenkins, the Office of State Finance’s spokesman on stimulus issues, said agency officials hope to have an updated and expanded site ready by early February.

New searches and downloadable data will be added to the site, he said.

"Among other things, it will list vendors receiving more than $25,000 in stimulus funds coming to Oklahoma and will contain a county-by-county breakdown of spending under the federal act,” Jenkins said.

Jenkins said the state’s site will show only stimulus funds that are sent to the state. Taxpayers still need to check the federal government’s site at www.recovery.gov for information about tribal, city and county stimulus spending.